Wedding Planning 2.0 – How the Times Have Changed!

2018 is a new year for wedding planning! Like everything else today, technology has revolutionized how couples plan, organize, and pull off their special day in ways no one could have imagined just a decade ago. While some wedding traditions remain the same, and some couples prefer to keep their ceremony and reception as traditional as possible, more and more couples are opting to host their wedding with some modern flair. From online invitations and online wedding RSVPs to social media integration, from public proposals to rustic and unique wedding venues, it’s hard to keep track of all the things that have changed about wedding planning today. We decided to look at a few areas where wedding planning has changed the most to highlight some ideas for couples beginning their own wedding planning process!

The Proposal

For years, a wedding proposal was considered a personal and private proposition. A couple would have their big moment over a private dinner, on a private getaway, or somewhere else special to them. However, the modern wedding couple is taking this special moment to entirely new places! Some proposals are now public affairs, in front of friends and family. Even more cool, some are opting for “performance” proposals – elaborate plans including a band or singer, a “reveal”, a public pronouncement, or even posting the proposal to social media, complete with a unique hashtag. Many couples now choose a clever play on words for their unique hashtag – such as #shechosewelch, #morganshebargainedfor and others. Last but not least in new trends is streaming the moment live on Instagram or Facebook. This way, all the friends and family can be “present”, while still keeping the moment a personal one between the happy couple!

The Venue and Catering

There have always been a variety of wedding venue options, but most followed a pretty clear format – the ceremony would be held at a traditional house of worship. Meanwhile, the reception would take place nearby at a catering hall, country club, or formal event space. However, over the past decade the ideas for venues have exploded – everything from destination weddings on tropical beaches to creative domestic locations. One of the biggest new wedding venue trends is the rustic wedding. Couples are having their reception at a restored barn or warehouse space, which allows for some rustic decorations that are a major change from the more formal decor of the spaces listed above.

This has also led to more couples choosing dates outside the traditional wedding season – winter weddings in beautiful spaces with snow falling outside, fall weddings that lend themselves natural color from the changing leaves, and spring weddings complete with newly blossoming flowers have all become popular choices with modern couples.

The Attire

With all the other changes to traditions, it’s no surprise that the attire of the bride and groom has been updated these days too! Most of us remember that weddings were usually associated with a groom in a formal black suit or tuxedo, and a bride with the ubiquitous white wedding dress. The groom would visit a local tailor for a custom fitting, and the bride would spend a day shopping at different wedding dress vendors to pick the one she liked.

These days though, everything is much different! Comprehensive online vendors can save a groom a trip to the tailor by allowing them to sort through various styles online. Wedding dresses can be bought used, or even designed by a creative bride using vendor tools. Aside from just choosing an outfit, the style itself has changed enormously! Some couples model their choice of color on the season they choose to be married. Others are going for completely non-traditional options. Even the idea of a traditional color has changed – blue suits, tan suits, ivory or champagne colored dressed, and mix and matched bridesmaid dresses are all new traditions also!

Wedding Planning 2.0 – Online Invitations, Online Wedding RSVPs, Social Media, Oh My!

Aside from the big day itself, even the wedding planning process has gotten a major update. Where once couples relied entirely on elaborate paper invitations and RSVPs, some of these expensive (but classic!) traditions have now moved online too. Online invitations and save the dates are letting couples communicate with guest lists with creative and multimedia options. Online wedding RSVPs and guest list management platforms make it easier than ever to not only collect guest attendance and info, but also to handle seating charts and mass communications with guest lists digitally too. Modern couples are throwing away the legal pads and paper once and for all and moving all of their planning right to their computer or mobile device! Some couples blend the old with the new,  even going as far as printing QR codes on their paper invitations!

Another big area technology has changed is the music, pictures, and interactive nature of the wedding ceremony itself – with the use of the unique wedding hashtag, couples can now get guests to all be wedding photographers by uploading and tagging their photos and videos to Instagram or Facebook. Spotify has let couples become their own DJs, choosing the perfect playlist for their event. And the wedding or message book, once a typically pen and paper area, can now be moved online as well, so couples can collect messages and greetings from their guests to be reviewed and revisited years later.